D&D General DDB/WOTC Price Increases

[Clint_L]

Nope. The deal for digital and physical is horrible. If I buy just one I get all of the content. If I buy both I'm spending all of the extra $$ for no additional content, just a format change. Look at things like Peregrine Press's Bits and Mortar program where if you buy the physical, even from a FLGS, they will send you the PDF for free. And they've gotten a number of other publisher on board.

"Buying the same content twice" does not add value, so you can't honestly compare the bundle value to the sum of the individual prices. You are getting one of the parts at full value, and then paying everything else for just an extra format. One that some publishers will throw in for free.

Publishers | Bits and Mortar

About the Bits and Mortar ProgramThe Bits and Mortar program benefits publishers by providing customers with more value when they purchase your books in physical stores. We help ensure that when you offer a print-and-PDF bundle that everyone can take advantage of that deal. We’ll want you to buy...

bits-and-mortar.com

Getting the content on DDB clearly does add value, if you’re a DDB user. It’s not really comparable to getting a PDF.

Edit: More specifically, for me it is most of the value, which is why I only rarely buy books; when I do, it's as collectibles, basically. DDB is where I do all of my work when it comes to running games, and having access to all of the material integrated with all of my other material, with digital maps and icons, able to be instantly shared with all of my players all of the time, is far, far more valuable to me than a physical book.

Ironically, I agree that this bundle is not that great a value, but it's because the physical books are way overpriced, from my perspective. You could offer them to me for free and I would politely decline, so I'm clearly not going to pay extra for them.

Obviously, if you're not comfortable with subscription services and prefer physical ownership of books, then your math will be different.

 

[mamba]

If it's not worth it to you, don't pay for it.

it’s what they are doing…

 

[Echohawk]

DDB is where I do all of my work when it comes to running games, and having access to all of the material integrated with all of my other material, with digital maps and icons, able to be instantly shared with all of my players all of the time, is far, far more valuable to me than a physical book.

I'll second this. Just the ability to share your entire library of DDB titles with your gaming group (or gaming groups) adds value that I don't get when I buy a PDF. And I say that as someone who would very much like to be able to buy D&D PDFs from WotC.

The son of one of my childhood friends is part of a group of teenagers who are both massive D&D fans and perpetually poor. Thanks to DDB I'm able to give them free access to 140 D&D books from which they loot and pillage material from for their weekly games.

 

[mamba]

I'll second this. Just the ability to share your entire library of DDB titles with your gaming group (or gaming groups) adds value that I don't get when I buy a PDF. And I say that as someone who would very much like to be able to buy D&D PDFs from WotC.

I’d rather have a PDF, but I’ll settle for getting a PDF along with the DDB content

As to being able to share, you can host the PDF and give them access that way, this is not really something that sets DDB apart

 

[AlViking]

it’s what they are doing…

So problem solved.

What's the issue? I'd like a Porsche 911 but it's not worth the money to me (I like having a place to live) so I don't buy it. I don't go around complaining about how expensive it is.

Another common complaint is lack of a pdf, that has solutions as well. Meanwhile getting the DDB version comes with other benefits of integration into the tool.

 

[djotaku]

OP, I don't like paying more money any more than anyone else does. But like the self-described old-timer said, book prices haven't kept up with inflation. Paizo just raised the prices on their books a few weeks ago.

Remember there are fixed costs whether digital or physical: authors, artists, copyeditors, etc. Then for digital specifically for D&D there's the devs who code the book into dndbeyond. For the physical book there's the cost of paper and printing. And there's the constant political BS, wars, etc that is leading to shipping costs going up.

There's just no way this hobby will stay cheap if you want the books. However, there's the evergreen reminder that D&D (and "all" TTRPGs) are free if you're willing to use the SRD (or ORC, or w/e) material, homebrew, and use pencil & paper. If you can't afford it, it doesn't mean you have to abandon the hobby. Also, check your LFGS to see if they have a used section. Mine does and the books are HEAVILY discounted.

 

[djotaku]

Nope. The deal for digital and physical is horrible. If I buy just one I get all of the content. If I buy both I'm spending all of the extra $$ for no additional content, just a format change. Look at things like Peregrine Press's Bits and Mortar program where if you buy the physical, even from a FLGS, they will send you the PDF for free. And they've gotten a number of other publisher on board.

"Buying the same content twice" does not add value, so you can't honestly compare the bundle value to the sum of the individual prices. You are getting one of the parts at full value, and then paying everything else for just an extra format. One that some publishers will throw in for free.

Publishers | Bits and Mortar

About the Bits and Mortar ProgramThe Bits and Mortar program benefits publishers by providing customers with more value when they purchase your books in physical stores. We help ensure that when you offer a print-and-PDF bundle that everyone can take advantage of that deal. We’ll want you to buy...

bits-and-mortar.com

I also hate the lack of PDFs compared to Paizo and Kobold Press. HOWEVER, it is NOT free to have that content in dndbeyond. They have to pay programmers to get it in there; same as if it's in Foundry, Fantasy Grounds, Roll20, etc. To SOME degree (but it's not REALLY true) free PDF makes more sense if you consider a PDF to be what they send to the printer to make the books. But a GOOD PDF has nice links everywhere which means paying someone to do that. The small publishers give it to you free because otherwise "no one" would buy anything other than D&D. For example, back 20 or so years ago Kia cars had the best warrantees in the industry. Why? Because they were known as garbage cars, so they had to give you something extra to get you to buy them. On the other end of the spectrum, high end cars they nickle and dime you because they know you have the money and want the prestige of driving that car.

 

[SkidAce]

I'll second this. Just the ability to share your entire library of DDB titles with your gaming group (or gaming groups) adds value that I don't get when I buy a PDF. And I say that as someone who would very much like to be able to buy D&D PDFs from WotC.

The son of one of my childhood friends is part of a group of teenagers who are both massive D&D fans and perpetually poor. Thanks to DDB I'm able to give them free access to 140 D&D books from which they loot and pillage material from for their weekly games.

I agree.

 

[mamba]

So problem solved.

What's the issue? I'd like a Porsche 911 but it's not worth the money to me (I like having a place to live) so I don't buy it.

they are free to complain about a 33% price hike, and stop buying the product as a consequence of it.

Not sure why you need to try to turn this into a ‘nothing to see here folks, move on’ moment

Another common complaint is lack of a pdf, that has solutions as well.

not a good one though, a properly laid out and linked PDF as offered by everyone else is better than whatever print-to-pdf approach you are using for DDB. If you have one that gets close, I’d like to know

 

[Morrus]

Look at things like Peregrine Press's Bits and Mortar program

I assume you mean Pelgrane Press. Bits & Mortar was started by Evil Hat, Cubicle 7, Pelgrane, and a few others.